antoine



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l. E ANTOINE WINDING INDICATOR FOR WATCHES.

No. 588,373. Patented Aug. 17,1897.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-$heet 2.

I ANTOINE.

WINDING INDICATOR FOR WATCHES.

' Patented Aug. 17,1897.

, I l w 42E. liar/111 A Wv'nwrmtsfam can co. PHOTO-LITHD UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST ANTOINE, OF BESANQON, FRANCE.

WINDING-INDICATOR FOR WATCHES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 588,373, dated August 17, 1897. Application filed May 17,1897. Serial No. 636,849. (No model.) Patented in $witzerland November 18, 1896,1l0. 13,340.

To all whom it may CON/0677b.

Beit known that I, ERNEST ANTOINE, a citizen of the French Republic, residing at Besancon, (Doubs,) in the Republic of France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Connected with Watches, Clocks, and the Like, (for which a patent has been granted in Switzerland,No. 13,340, dated November 13, 1896,) of which the following is a clear and complete specification.

This invention relates to a device appli cable to all timepieces operated by springs, whereby the extent to which the main or driving spring has been unwound can be seen at any moment, therebyindicatin g whether the timepiece needs winding up.

To enable my invention to be fully understood, I will describe it by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein an embodiment thereof is illustrated.

Figure 1 is a face view of the movement of a watch having my device applied thereto, a portion of the top plate beingbroken away to show the gearing below it. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of the opposite face of the movement to that seen in Fig. 1 and showing the particular mechanism of this invention. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section on line 3 3 in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detached sectional view of the wheel t Fig. 5 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 2, showing the addition of a time-indicating hand. Fig. 6 is a view of the graduated circle on the dial for the hands m and n.

A represents the spring-barrel of the watchmovement; B, the stem-arbor; G, the springarbor; D, the top plate of the movement, and F the bottom or pillar plate nearest the dial G, Fig. at.

The barrel A contains the main spring of the watch, and on its arbor C is fixed the ratchet-wheel a, the teeth of which are gearteeth. The ratchet-wheel has the usual pawl r. (Seen in Fig. 1.) The teeth of the ratchetwheel a gear with those of the winding-wheel b", Fig. 1, which latter, Fig. 4:, turns loosely, being an intermediate and gears with a wheel I), also loosely mounted and integral with a pinion b gearing with a wheel Z1, loose on its arbor E, which latter has a bearing in the top plate D and the bottom or pillar plate F, Fig. 3, and carries a pinion c on the same side of the pillar-plate as the mechanism seen in Fig. 2. The wheel has, as clearly shown in Fig. i, a double set of teeth or crown and spur teeth, so as to enable the spur-teeth to gear with the wheels 0 and b and the crownteeth to gear with the winding-pinion s on the stemarbor B. The pinion 0 gears with a wheel g, the boss 2' of which carries on the side nearest the dial G of the watch a hand or pointer m, adapted to move over grad nations on the dial, the said graduations being divided in accordance with the number of hours that the watch is constructed to run at one winding.

The wheel I) is made integral with a pinion d, which gears with a wheel f, Fig. 3, fixed on one end of an arbor 7L, mounted to rotate in a bearing in a wheel j, the opposite end of said arbor carrying a wheel 7t, which gears with apinion Z, fixed on the arbor E. The wheel j is loose on the arbor E and gears with the barrel-wheel J.

The pinion d and the wheel f are of the same diameter, while the diameter of the pinion Z is only two-thirds of that of the wheel 7t. The relation between the teeth of the ratchet-wheel a and the wheels 19 Z) Z) and that between the teeth of the wheels J j are such that the angular displacement of the wheel j for one revolution of the barrel is three times as great as that of the wheel b for one revolution of the ratchet-wheel a. The arbor of the wheel g can be placed at any point on the straight line extending from the axis of-the central wheel of the watch to the axis of the watclrpendant.

The relation between the number of the teeth of the pinion c and of the wheel g is arbitrary and depends both on the angular movement it is desired to give the hand or pointer m and on the position of the center of this wheel 9.

The wheels and pinions (0,1), 0', b 1), J, (1, k, Z, c, and 9 may have, forexample, the following number of teethviz., ratchetwheel a, fifty-five teeth; wheel b forty teeth wheel Z), twenty-four teeth; pinion b twelve teeth; wheel I), forty'two teeth; wheel j, fiftysix teeth; wheel J, onehundred and ten teeth; pinion d, fifteen teeth; wheel f, fii teen teeth wheel k, eighteen teeth; wheel Z, twelve teeth; pinion 0, six teeth, and wheel g, forty teeth.

The mechanism above described operates as follows: \Vhen the watch is wound up that is to say, when the ratchet-wheel a is rotated in the direction of the arrow t by means of the winding mechanism, so as to cause the barrel-arbor C to wind up the mainspringthe wheel b", through the medium of the wheel and pinion b and 11 ro tates the wheel I) and the pinion d in the direction of the arrow to, Figs. 1 and 2, with an e t? 24 42 lar velocity of the ratchet-wheel a, and the pinion d rotates the wheels f and 7c in the direction of the arrow y, Fig. 2, with an equal angular velocity-that is to say, with an an- 12 of that of the Q-LLX-ILZ ratchet-wheel a or of the barrelarbor O. This rotary motion of the wheels f and 7e or of the arbor h is transmitted by the wheels 1 c, which rotate in the direction of the arrow w, and with an angular velocity equal to angular velocity equal to of the angugular velocity equal to 12 18 165 a E I2 01 16g of the angular velocity of O the wheels land 0 will make 4X W lob 0 revolutions.

When the spring unwinds-that is to say, operates the watch-movementthe wheel j will be caused to move by the barrel-wheel J with an angular velocity equal to of the angular velocity of the barrel, and the wheel fwill roll on the pinion d, kept immovable by the connection of the wheel I), through the medium of the wheels 5 b b", with the ratchet-wheel a, which is held by the pawl r, so that the wheel f moves around the arbor E in the direction of the arrow m, the said wheel f and its arbor moving with a velocity 56 the barrel. This planetary motion around the spindle E causes the wheel 7t and the wheels 1 0, respectively, to rotate in directions opposite to those of the arrows y 00 and the wheel 9, as also the hand or pointer m, in a direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow .2', the wheel 7; having during this movement an angular velocity of rotation around its axis equal to that of the wheel f and an angular velocity of translation around the arbor E equal to that of the wheel j, while the wheels Z) and 0 during this movement only have an angular velocity equal to 110 3 110 3 2 X {1+ of the angular velocity 50 of the barrel-that is, m of the angular equal to 2 of the angular velocity of velocity of the barrel. Now supposing the power of the niainspring to be such that it causes the barrel A to make four revolutions in the direction of the arrow '1, the wheels f and 7t, operated by the wheel j, gearing with the barrel-wheel J, will, on account of their planetary movementthat is to say, a combination of movements of translation and rotation-cause the wheel 7, and therefore the arbor E and the wheel 0, to make l- 3% or 4mg? revolutions in the direction of the arrow 03 in such a manner that the wheel 9 and the hand or pointer 772 will be moved by the wheel fin a direction opposite to the arrow and with the same velocity as they had in the direction of the arrow :5 when winding up the watch, and so that during the unwinding of the spring the hand or pointer will indicate on the graduations on the watch-dial the extent to which the said spring has been unwound.

My improvements are especially applicable to all long-running watches-that is to say, to watches which go at one winding for more than two days, as, for instance, watches which go for fifty-five or titty-six hourskeyless, open-face, hunters or half-hunters, repeaters, and all other timekeepers having a going-barrel, and particularly to watches and timekeepers which run for more than fortyeight hours.

It is obvious that the arrangement above described with reference to Figs. 1, 2, and 3 can be utilized as an hour-counter if care be taken to wind the watch up fullythat is to say, to return the hand or pointer to zero on the graduated circle on the dial. In order that the arrangement may also serve as a minute-counter, the device as shown in Fig. 5 may be adopted. In this figure a hand or pointer n is used to mark the minutes. The cannon t" of this hand or pointer passes through the cannon 2' of the hand or pointer m as well as the wheel g and carries under the latter a pinion 0, (indicated in dotted lines,) which gears by means of the wheels and pinion p, p, and q with a wheel a, fixed on the arbor E. The pivots 011 which the wheels and pinion p, p, and q freely turn are fixed to the bottom or pillar plate'F. The hand or pointer 71 must necessarily move in the same direction as the hand or pointer m, and the diameters of the wheels and pinions c g p p 0 will be such that when the watch is going the hand 12, moving over graduations on the tions and the inner or hour circle fifty-six divisions, but, as stated, the number of divisions of the inner circle will vary.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. A timepiece having graduations on its dial, a hand an to traverse said dial and indicate the extent to which the mainspring of the watch is run down, and gearing between the spring-barrel and said hand, said gearing comprising the barrel-wheel J, the wheel j, in gear therewith and loose on the arbor E, the

aid arbor, gearing between said arbor and he hand m, the said hand, the ratchet-wheel a, on the spring-arbor, the said spring-arbor, O, the spring-pawl 'r', the intermediate wheel t gearing with the ratchet-wheel and a loosely-mounted wheel I), the said wheel I), the wheel Z), loosely mounted on the arbor E, the pinion b integral with the wheel I) and gearing with the wheel I), the pinion d, integral with the wheel I), the arbor h, rotatively mounted in the Wheel j and carrying, fixed on its ends, the Wheels f and 7c, the wheel f being in gear with the pinion cl, and the pinion 1, fixed on the arbor E and in gear with the wheel 7t, whereby the wheels f and 71; have a rotary movement about their axes, and a movement of translation about the arbor E, substantially as set forth.

2. A timepiece having graduations on its dial, a hand an to traverse said dial and indicate the extent to which the mainspring of the watch is run down, and gearing between the spring-barrel and said hand, said gearing comprising the barrel-wheel J, the wheel 7', in gear therewith and loose on the arbor E, the said arbor, gearing between said arbor and the hand m, the said hand, the ratchet-wheel a, on the spring-arbor, the said spring-arbor, O, the spring-pawl r, the intermediate wheel 1) gearing with the ratchet-wheel and a loosely-mounted wheel I), the said wheel I), the wheel I), loosely mounted on the arbor E, the pinion b integral with the wheel I) and gearing with the wheel I), the pinion d, integral with the wheel I), the arbor h, rotatively mounted in the wheel j and carrying, fixed on its ends, the wheels f and 7t, the wheel f being in gear with the pinion d, the pinion Z, fixed 011 the arbor E and in gear with the wheel 7a, the hand m, on the same axis with the hand 42, adapted to traverse graduations on the dial, and mechanism between said hand it and the gearing-driving hand m, whereby the hand 12- marks the time, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ERNEST ANTOINE. Witnesses:

CHARLES LAUREALLY, ALPHONS RYNUHIER. 

